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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · cabinet · branch · content · bulb · rash · squash · wave

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. squash — the sport
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. content — happy
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — humankind
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. race — the arms race
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. content — the amount
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com